Welcome to the Illinois Health Matters Blog

Monday, June 2, 2014

Finding the right healthcare plan can be stressful, and with all
the noise surrounding the new healthcare law, it may seem downright
overwhelming. But there’s good news coming out of Illinois. The state’s new
health insurance marketplace is open for business, and it’s already providing
small business owners and their employees with improved options for affordable
coverage.

The new marketplace, Get Covered Illinois, is a partnership marketplace,
which means the state and federal government run the marketplace together while
Illinois prepares to run the marketplace on its own beginning in 2015. Get
Covered Illinois has two branches – one for individuals, the other for small
businesses. The individual marketplace is available to any self-employed
individual or small business employee whose employer doesn’t offer insurance. Open
enrollment for 2015 begins on November 15. In the meantime, employees and self-employed folks can use an online
calculator to determine if
they’re eligible for a subsidy to help cover the cost of insurance for coverage
in 2015.

Many self-employed Chicagoans have already discovered the
benefits of enrolling through the state’s marketplace, including Jade Phillips,
a local children’s book author. After a brief stint with a precipitously high
monthly premium and deductible from a private insurance company, Phillips says
she spent the majority of her 20s uncovered. But this year, the self-employed
entrepreneur was able to sign up for coverage through the individual market.
For the first time in years, she’s enrolled in an affordable plan that allows
her to continue doing what she loves while enjoying the peace of mind her new
insurance brings.

There’s even more good news for small employers. The small
business marketplace has year-round enrollment, so small business owners with
fewer than 50 employees looking for a plan have plenty of time to determine if
the new marketplace is the right choice. There are more than 230,000 small businesses in the Chicago
metropolitan area, but in order for them to take advantage of this new option, entrepreneurs need to know what Get Covered
Illinois’ small business marketplace can
do for their businesses.

Here are some key facts about the marketplace to help
get small employers up to speed.

The new health insurance marketplace is one of the most
important components of the Affordable Care Act for Chicago small employers. The
small business marketplace allows small
businesses with fewer than 50 employees to band together when buying
coverage – giving them the kind of purchasing clout large businesses enjoy.

The marketplace offers businesses more competitive choices,
which can help lower premium costs, thus improving their bottom lines.

Small employers that do offer coverage through the marketplace may
also be eligible for a tax credit of up to 50 percent of your premiums. Check
out our tax credit calculator to see if you’re
eligible and to receive a tax credit estimate.

Illinois’ small business marketplace will offer employee choice
in the future, which means small business workers will be able to choose from a
number of plans from different carriers.

What’s more, Small
Business Majority’s certified educators can help answer questions regarding the
enrollment process. Check out our state outreach
calendar or the Small Business
Health Care Consortium’s events
page to find an event in your area.

To learn more about the small business marketplace, enrollment
dates and coverage plans, visit our Health
Coverage Guide (healthcoverageguide.org), which contains a wealth of information for small business
owners regarding enrollment, the Affordable Care Act and the healthcare system
in general.

The more small business
owners know about the new marketplace, the easier it will be for them to get their
employees and businesses more affordable insurance coverage. And then, instead
of worrying about health insurance, they can do what they do best: run the
companies that make up the backbone of our state and our nation.

I am Shannon by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my husband after three(3) years of marriage just because another woman had a spell on him and he left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address Makospelltemple@yahoo.com , have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a woman had a spell on my husband and he told me that he will help me and after 2 days that i will have my husband back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my husband. Thanks for Dr.Mako. His email: Makospelltemple@yahoo.com OR.His WhatsApp Number:+2347054263874.